Samsung, SK Hynix upgrading China plants to make more advanced chips, people say: Reuters

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are upgrading their China factories to produce more advanced memory chips, four people familiar with the plans said, aiming to fend off competition from a fast-growing Chinese rival and meet huge AI demand. How much to invest in their Chinese operations has become a tricky question for the South Korean semiconductor giants ever since the US began imposing export controls on some chip-making equipment in 2022 amid an effort to slow China's technological progress. Both companies are now required to seek US licenses annually if they want to install US-made equipment such as etching machines in China.